What does "high-digestibility" means ?

Digestibility represents the amount of food "assimilated" by the body, i.e that cannot be found in the stools. The amount of energy and nutrients available for the animal depends from the digestibility level.

It can be measured according two differents ways:

under real conditions: collecting and analyzing the stools in order to compare these analysis to the quantity and the composition of the food consumed ; this is the way Royal Canin controls the digestibility of the finished products everyday .

in laboratory: making specific enzymes acting on the food, to mimic the natural digestion. These methods are used by Royal Canin to evaluate the digestibility of the ingredients, mainly from animal origin.

It is then possible to evaluate the global digestibility of the product: digestibility of dry matter, digestibility of proteins, fats… A good digestibility is something essential for the health and the well-being of the animals: it allows to:

avoid nutritional deficiencies due to poor assimilation,

it also prevents from some digestive troubles.

Actually, when undigested substances arrive into the large intestine (colon), they stimulate the activity of the intestinal flora. By-products from fermentation are then capable to increase the water intestinal retention, that increases the water content of the stools. They can also produce irritative or even toxic substances. When maldigestion becomes obvious, we can observe flatulences and diarrhea.

“ Premium product ”: dDM _ 80 %
In general, a decrease of the digestibility goes with an increase of the moisture content of the stools. About 75 % of moisture must be added to the undigested DM: 80 g of stools for 100 g of DM ingested (20 g DM + 60 g moisture).

High digestibility products allow the animal to draw a maximal profit from his food: reduced volumes of stools are only a consequence of the searched effect. But the digestibility remains an important element to take into account for the environment, whatever it is: kennel, cattery or urban environment ; the reduction of stools volumes lightens the cleaning work. Let's remember that the city of Paris alone has to collect about 10 tons of canine dejections every day, for an annual cost of 42 millions FF !